What was the first car to have a merged door to fender bodyline?

[karguy12]

Having a little debate about what car had the first flush door to fender body line unlike the cars of the 30's with separate rounded fenders. There were several after WWII, but what was the earliest?

[padgett]

American cars only ? If not the Dymaxion ('33) then the '46 Kaiser. (my Vixen has a lot in common with the Dymaxion)

[Bleach]

The first America production car was the 1947 Studebaker Champion. The world's earliest was the German 1924 Hanomag 2/10 PS.

The styling was known as Ponton or Pontoon in Europe and "slab sided" in the US.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Not production but the Chrysler Thunderbolt was a show car in 1941

[Guest my3buicks]

leading the way in American cars would have been the Buicks with the Pontoon fenders as eary as 1942 - while it was not a smooth side it was still incorporating the front fenders into the doors. The coupes and convertibles more so than the 4 doors. The 38 Buic Y Job first made use of the fender continuing and flowing onto the door.

Edited June 7, 2013 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[Guest my3buicks]

There, someone in another thread mentioned the 33 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrows, their styling would certainly fit the bill

[Bleach]

While the Silver Arrow definitely fits the bill, it was not really a production car. It was a concept car of which five examples were made. They were all hand built in a an amazingly short three months.

It was one of the earliest cars I became fascinated with.

[CarlLaFong]

Crosley built their first postwar cars in May 1946 with slab side bodies

[padgett]

If you accept the 42 Buick then would need to also accept the '34 Desoto Airflow. That said I still like the 46 Kaiser for the first real slab side production American car

Note that the painted grille on the Fraizer was said to be '46 only.

Edited June 7, 2013 by padgett (see edit history)

[karguy12]

The 34 Airflow still had a protruding fender...

[Rusty_OToole]

Having a little debate about what car had the first flush door to fender body line unlike the cars of the 30's with separate rounded fenders. There were several after WWII, but what was the earliest?

1941 Packard Clipper for production cars.

[JD in KC]

The 41-47 Clipper did have the front fender fade into the door but it had a separate rear fender. For Packard, it all became flush with the 1948 'bathtub' models. Too late to qualify for first.

Edited June 8, 2013 by JD in KC
clarity (see edit history)

[Jim Bollman]

May 5th, 1946: The new Crosley CC models begin rolling from the assembly line, making Crosley the first new postwar production car it also had the slab side design, just days ahead of Kaiser-Frazer.

[padgett]

Interesting. My notes show Crosly beginning postwar production in June 1946 and Frazer starting on May29. Was anyone around then ?

[The Continental]

Sounds like Crosley and Nash would be first for slab side. The Clipper and Sweep Spear Buicks have lines from their front fenders that flow back into the quarter. The Sweep Spear is obvious, but the Clipper had fenders that the top line flowed into the door and towards the bottom their is a line that flows past both doors into the quarter. 1942 GMs also had full fenders that flowed into the doors as well.

[JD in KC]

The above example of a '41 Clipper is misleading. It's a Darrin creation that has had extensive body work including having the front fender profile extended. Packard did not offer a convertible in the 41-47 Clipper line.

Photo: PackardInfo.com

Edited June 9, 2013 by JD in KC
Added Photo of '41 Clipper (see edit history)

[Jim Bollman]

I have the newspaper clipping the one photo I posted came from somewhere but I apparently wrote down the wrong date. I checked one of our Crosley historians to see if he had it and he sent me this one from the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune for Monday, May 6, 1946 instead. That would make the official first one coming off the line as May 9th not the 5th which would have been a Sunday.

[padgett]

I still like the Dymaxion.

[karguy12]

I think on that Dymaxion the door merges right into the grille! lol

[Dave Mellor NJ]

On the isetta the door is in front of the fender

[Guest]

Tatra 77.......1933 rear fenders;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/T77_Prototype-1.jpg/200px-T77_Prototype-1.jpg

Tatra 87....1937;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Tatra_87-old.jpg/800px-Tatra_87-old.jpg

!937 Chevrolet,the high line crease;

http://www.kustomrama.com/images/5/53/Danny-kazerian-1937-chevrolet.jpg

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTelmcPgl_QipC26Z9rOHo7jRwGMdwJR4rTdr92wVat7FlNd_I-wg

[Bleach]

The 1947 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe was apparently introduced in April 1946 but I am having trouble finding actual production data to back this up. Many sources suggest that Studebaker was earliest to start production of the new post war styling.

Still searching....

[LINC400]

1935 Stout Scarab?

[Rusty_OToole]

Studebaker, like Packard, had separate rear fenders. Studebaker was the first with new styling from an old line company but may have been beaten by Kaiser and Crosley.

[Dave@Moon]

The car that started it all. The 1922 Ley T6.

The Origins of Streamline Design in Cars

[CarlLaFong]

Wow. The front end of that car is remarkably modern looking

[padgett]

Or do we wnt to just talk about production cars like the Tatra ?

Edited June 14, 2013 by padgett (see edit history)

[Alrin]

What about soviet car Pobeda? First production car was build in June 28, 1946.

Here is info from 1cars.org - 

GAZ-M20 Pobeda is a serial car produced by the Soviet state. Production was carried out by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1946 to 1958. The model was one of the world’s debut mass-produced cars with a 4-door pontoon-type body, which had no separate wings, steps and headlights. It was produced in different modifications, which can include an open body such as “convertible”.

 

GAZ-M20 Pobeda - wikipedia